Work machines, such as backhoe loaders, are commonly operated on hard finished surfaces such as tarmac work surfaces or roads. In order to stabilise the machine when working, rear stabiliser pads and a front end work tool, such as a loader, are lowered to ground level. However, the forces on the surface resulting from the weight and movement of the machine can result in damage to the surface, which may lead to a penalty or re-work costs for the operator or contractor.
In order to address this problem, it is known to affix wear pads to the rear stabilisers, as described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,386,586. Such wear pads have a lower hardness than the road surface, and thus erode in preference thereto.
Similarly, wear pads may also be affixed to the front end work tool. US-A-2006/0145489 discloses an apparatus for protecting a floor or surface and a bucket or scoop from costly wear and/or damage during material handling operations, wherein the wear pad is configured to be bolted to a bucket or scoop.
However, the front end work tool is typically used for tasks such as lifting, digging, and loading, which tasks may be impeded by the presence of wear pads. Therefore, it would be desirable to have a wear pad which can be quickly attached to a work tool, such as a front end loader, in a non-permanent manner.